Clarrie finally corners Ed and introduces him to the financial facts of life

Radio Times: Bert phones in.

Characters: Bert, Clarrie, David, Ed, Jill, Joe, Ruth, Wayne

• Ed is caught in the act of rummaging in his grandfather’s shed looking for a hose connector. He is going to sow the grass seed on Oliver Stirling’s new lawn, even though it is a bit late; with sprinklers and bird scarers, he reckons it will be alright. He beats a hasty retreat at the sound of his mother’s voice. Clarrie explains to Joe that they may have to pay for the exams Ed has missed, maybe £200; Joe thinks Ed should pay and Clarrie thinks so too.
• David confides in his mother that Ruth is not being very communicative. Jill thinks it is hardly surprising but does not want to be drawn into the matter; it was not so much what David did but the way he did it. When Ruth arrives he persuades her to look at the figures and perhaps talk to the vendor.
• Joe is in the studio preparing to meet his public in a phone-in. Wayne assures him that Brenda will keep out the real head-bangers but it is Bert Fry that Joe is worrying about.
• The figures are fine but Ruth feels that she can’t tell enough from the figures; 20 heifers is a lot to take on trust. She is not prepared to give her blessing but it is too late to call it off; a deal has been made and she thinks David cannot go back on it.
• Clarrie is absorbed in the phone-in, listening to Joe and Bert trading insults on the air, when Ed sneaks in; he cannot escape her this time. She intoduces him to the financial facts of life: while he is at school his parents have kept him but now that he is working, as well as the exam fees, he must pay rent and a contribution to the housekeeping. She cannot be serious. She is!